Shaving Soaps or Shaving Creams? What’s the Difference & Why Should You Care

Overdramatising the differences between shaving soap and shaving cream is one of the hot and controversial topics among wet shavers.

And it’s really fun to listen, read and (-gasp!) participating in epic debates.

So, before we begin I have to ask where you’re standing…

Are you a shaving soap or shaving cream type of wet shaver?

For some people, wet shaving is an art. More like painting in white really. You got the brush, and a canva -your face, to paint on.

Ever since the first time that I used shaving creams and shaving soaps, I can’t really tell what’s better for me. It’s not easy after all, with some many options to choose from.

Then again, what makes a shaving cream better than a shaving soap really?

Before we try to compare these two lathering products, let’s briefly discuss a few things about each one of them.

Few words about shaving creams

I guess that most of us started shaving during our high school years. And as it usually happens, a can of pressurised shaving cream was our first lathering product. Not the best kind of shaving cream but fortunately there’s a learning curve.

My father knew all along and warned me that this wasn’t the shaving cream I’m supposed to be shaving with. But as a teenager, I wondered how is this possible when there’s so much advertising behind? How can a shaving cream that looks like a toothpaste be better than the shaving cream that golf players and NBA stars use. If it wasn’t that good, why would it be on TV?

Let’s get back on track…

Most shaving creams come either in small jars or tubes. It’s very easy to work on it and you can lather either in a shaving bowl or directly on your face.

As said, shaving creams are soft and they come with all kinds of scents you can imagine. Many of which contain fragrances that some guys may not appreciate. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different shaving creams to choose from, including many that consist of natural ingredients. It’s so simple to make shaving cream that you can even try to make your own.

Few more words about shaving soaps

Shaving soaps have a hard texture. Just like shaving creams, they are glycerin based and compared to normal soaps, they use both potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide as saponification agent.

Lathering with shaving soap is quite similar with shaving cream in the sense that you place the shaving soap in a bowl and you swirl the brush on it until lather builds up. It takes approximatelly a minute of brush swirling until you get proper lather. If you give swirling some time and you follow the lathering procedure successfully, you’ll get a nice, thick lather to get you started with shaving.

In terms of scents, they come with a few different ones but from my experience, they tend to be very subtle. Considering the best shaving soaps that I’ve used, I would say that most didn’t have any striking scent that caught me by surprise.

Differences between shaving soaps and shaving creams.

First of all, I must say that not all shaving soaps or shaving creams are created equally. Therefore, when making a comparison, there are a few things to take into account.

Things to consider is the latherability, facial hair softening, scent, moisturising capability, and lastly, the scent. Of course, most of these criteria are subjective. Yet, you need to start the comparison from somewhere.

Let’s get to the specifics.

Shaving soap mastery

I must say that shaving soap is not a beginner’s friendly product.

Most men start with wet shaving by lathering with shaving cream. It’s easier to lather and doesn’t require too much swirling and technique. At least not as much as needed with shaving soap.

The shaving soap takes a little bit of practice to learn how to lather properly. When I first started lathering with shaving soap took me a bit of time to master it but it’s not really complicated.

It’s all about the time

Besides the technique, lathering a shaving soap takes a bit longer than shaving cream. Not much, but enough to make a chit chat about it.

Smells like roses

One thing that I’ve noticed -and you probably understood earlier, is that shaving creams tend to have stronger scents than shaving soaps. I’m not sure if this is the case but If I compare all the creams and soaps that I’ve used over the past few years, this tends to be the pattern.

Shaving creams do have stronger scents.

Carry on luggage friendliness

Shaving soaps are easier to transport in carry on luggage when flying, compared to shaving creams that you need to dispose. This happens since most of them are more than the maximum permitted volume. If I get this right, shaving soap is a winner here. There’s no room for shaving cream in your toiletry bag.

The longer it lasts the more you s(h)ave

I get the feeling that shaving soaps tend to last longer than shaving creams. It’s no wonder why many shaving soaps can last you up to three months even with daily shaving. To take this further, it means that over the course of a year, a shaving soap might cost you less money.

But again, the money that you’re going to save is so little that it’s hardly a reason to reject one over another.

Slickness

One last thing that I used to believe was that shaving soaps are a bit slicker than shaving creams. I had the feeling that shaving with shaving soap was making my shaving a bit more aggressive. But the more my lathering technique got better, the less difference I was able to spot.

Hence, depending on the products that you use and your lathering technique -and after a hundred of shaves, you might spot a difference in slickness between shaving soap and shaving creams.

My verdict on differences between shaving soaps and shaving creams

You can probably tell that there a few differences between the two products but no strong evidence if one is better than the other.

Shaving soaps or shaving creams, they all come down to personal preference.

If you’re just starting out with wet shaving, it would be better to start with shaving cream and a good shaving brush. This will give you an idea on how to build lather with a shaving brush and become more comfortable with it. Once you’ve achieved that, you can move on to lathering shaving soaps.

And more shaving creams,

And more shaving soaps,

And so on…

And finally you draw your own conclusions.

No matter if it’s shaving soap or shaving cream, all wet shavers are looking for the same thing. A beautiful thick lather for an enjoyable and comfortable shaving experience that will leave your face feeling refreshed.

What do you prefer? shaving soaps or shaving creams? Did you spot any other difference between them?

Wet shaving enthusiast, ex-beard wearer and proud blogger of the Manliness Kit. Besides my interest in man grooming, I'm also a gadget geek (where most of my spare income goes), and passionate football (soccer) fan. I've got a beautiful girlfriend who puts up with me and my hobbies on daily basis and for that, I 'm very grateful.